Thug Solidarity

Not to kick a dead horse, but … I told you so...

In my last post, I made the case that Angel Valodia Matos’ shameful act of kicking the Twaekondo referee that disqualified him was symptomatic of the society that Fidel Castro has built and has had total control of for the last 50 years.

A friend who read the post, told me I went too far in laying the blame for the athlete’s actions just as squarely on Fidel’s feet as Angel Valodia Matos laid his foot on the face of the unsuspecting referee.

My friend’s underlying sentiment is, of course, that we Cuban exiles like to blame Fidel for everything.

I told my friend that Valodia Matos and his coach did exactly what the regime, Fidel, expected them to do. Like I wrote in my post, “Fidel would be proud.”

AND proud he is.

Reflecting in his blog Today, Castro justified Valodia Matos’ actions. Valodia Matos, the Cuban delegation and ultimately Castro, were the victims here, you see. Kicking the referee in the head was a heroic act by a proud and defiant revolutionary who was provoked by the injustices perpetrated on Cuban athletes by the decadent capitalist elements that have polluted Olympic ideals with the almighty dollar and the Miami Mafia who have somehow “managed to thwart the rules of the Olympic Committee.”

The outrage was such that it prompted Fidel to write yet another rant reflection:

...Perhaps it would not have decided to write something on the subject so quickly had the incident with the Cuban taekwondo athlete, Angel Valodia Matos, not taken place…Astonished by a decision that seemed totally unjust to him, he protested and kicked the referee. Since they had had tried to bribe his own trainer, he was predisposed and indignant. He could not contain himself. The athlete was used to bravely facing the injuries that usually are frequent in taekwondo. The referee suspended the match when he was ahead three to two…

El compañero Fidel goes on (…and on, and on…) to offer the disgraced taekwondo athlete and his coach the country’s gratitude for showing the world the true face of Fidel’s revolution…(I’d like to add my eternal thanks as well, Angelito):

For our taekwondo athlete and his trainer, our total solidarity

Now, perhaps my friend and others who might have taken my last post as an exercise in anti-Castro exile histrionics will understand why I said that the unfortunate incident is symptomatic of the society that Fidel has built.

In praising and glorifying Valodia Mato’s despicable behavior, Fidel and the regime are teaching all Cuban children that aggression and violence are acceptable reactions when things don’t go their way-just like Che and Fidel would.

Unfortunately for the regime, bringing children up to kick authority figures in the head when they are disciplined for violating the rules can be a dangerous two-edged sword...